Answer to Ceres mystery spots?

September 9, 2015 8:04 AM

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Mark Burginger, an architect, NASA aficionado and citizen scientist, said he created this 3D model of the Occator Crater a week before NASA released their 3d version. He said he used the off-the-shelf software Cinema 4D to create it.
We've had several email exchanges with Mark about Ceres and his interest in the bright spots. Check out his imaging work on that mystery and what the lead NASA scientist had to say about it in the following images. Mark is doing that thing where education, talent and diligence combine to create ... The Citizen Scientist, who uses the vast open-source data and images NASA continuously makes available to participate in the exploration of space. Burginger is the inventor of the children's toy called Qubits ( as seen on ABC Shark Tank ) as well as an building architect. less

Mark Burginger, an architect, NASA aficionado and citizen scientist, said he created this 3D model of the Occator Crater a week before NASA released their 3d version. He said he used the off-the-shelf software ... more

Here is Burginger's work compared to NASA's, which is the top image.
"I am interested in Ceres mostly because of the 'abnormal' reflectance of the material on Ceres. It is at a level unlike anything seen before," he told us. "My design-science background tends to (lead me to) imagine that this material is something we are all familiar with (ice/water), but now it is in a different environment, Ceres. How is it different? Different atomic lattice structure? Different solution, perhaps it is 'perfect water' -- nothing but H2O, no impurities? Perfect gravity?"
"Geometry holds the keys to many secrets and my geometric background allows me to imagine many possibilities. I am facinated by every new image of this dwarf planet."
Click through to see what NASA's lead scientist had to say about Burginger's theory. less

Here is Burginger's work compared to NASA's, which is the top image.
"I am interested in Ceres mostly because of the 'abnormal' reflectance of the material on Ceres. It is at a level unlike anything seen ... more

Here is Burginger's work compared to NASA's, which is the... Photo-8424780.111431 - seattlepi.com

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Flip through to last two slides for explanation (don't want to bias what you think you see here ... though it looks pretty plain to me!)

Flip through to last two slides for explanation (don't want to bias what you think you see here ... though it looks pretty plain to me!)

Flip through to last two slides for explanation (don't want to... Photo-8134442.111431 - seattlepi.com

Original NASA photo caption: The brightest spots on dwarf planet Ceres are seen in this image taken by NASA's Dawn spacecraft on June 6, 2015. This is among the first snapshots from Dawn's second mapping orbit, which is 2,700 miles (4,400 kilometers) in altitude. The resolution is 1,400 feet (410 meters) per pixel.

Scientists are still puzzled by the nature of these spots, and are considering explanations that include salt and ice.

Original NASA photo caption: The brightest spots on dwarf planet Ceres are seen in this image taken by NASA's Dawn spacecraft on June 6, 2015. This is among the first snapshots from Dawn's second mapping orbit,

Caption for this altered photo provided by its creator: "On June 10th 2015 Mark Burginger the inventor of the children's toy called Qubits ( as seen on ABC Shark Tank ) Looked at the NASA photos taken by the Dawn spacecraft which was from 2,700 miles away from the dwarf planet Ceres. He inverted the colors of the image and soon realized that the bright area represented a frozen lake. This website will celebrate the newly found Frozen Lake in the Astroid Belt."

'…exposed ice would sublime, that is, evaporate into the vacuum of space. An impact could excavate through dirt and into ice below and leave a temporary exposure but this would not last long. If it is ice we need a way to replenish the ice or keep it clean from dust and debris so we can see it. So any mechanism for producing the bright spots seems to be complicated. I am not expecting a trivial solution to this conundrum.' " less

Caption for this altered photo provided by its creator: "On June 10th 2015 Mark Burginger the inventor of the children's toy called Qubits ( as seen on ABC Shark Tank ) Looked at the NASA photos taken by the

Caption for this altered photo provided by its creator: "On... Photo-8134449.111431 - seattlepi.com

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Here's Mark Burginger "at SpaceX-4 launch prior to putting the rocket vertical." He added, " I am a member of the group on twitter #NASASocial. On occasions, I go out to Cape Canaveral and get inside the press areas to watch launches. It gets you 'into' Space exploration as a side effect." less

Here's Mark Burginger "at SpaceX-4 launch prior to putting the rocket vertical." He added, " I am a member of the group on twitter #NASASocial. On occasions, I go out to Cape Canaveral and get inside the press ... more